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What to see (Downtown)
Zócalo (Main square) At the intersection of Juarez and 20 de Noviembre M Zócalo (L2 Blue) / Free! Open 24/7 The official name of this square is the Plaza de la Constitución , but it's commonly called the Zócalo, which means pedestal or stand. In the 1800s a pedestal was set up in the center of the square for a monument to commemorate Mexican independence. The statue was never put in place and people began to refer to the square itself as the Zócalo. It's one of the largest public plazas in the world and is the heart of Mexico City. Metropolitan Cathedral Address M Zócalo (L2 Blue) / Free. Belfry tour $30 Opening times The construction and decoration of this cathedral, dedicated to the Assumption of Mary, took nearly 3 centuries. Construction began in 1573, and the building was dedicated, although still unfinished, in 1656. The cathedral is host to a mixture of styles, a result of being built over such a long period of time. Sophisticated restoration works begun in the 1990s have stabilized the building. Although restorers have been unable to halt the sinking altogether, they have corrected the tilting towers and ensured that the cathedral will now sink uniformly. National Palace Address M Zócalo (L2 Blue) / Free! Mon-Sun, 9-17h The government building is located on the East side of the Zocalo. It is said to have been built on the grounds where Moctezuma's palace had stood. You may enter the building to see the murals that Diego Rivera painted between 1929 and 1952. These colorful murals show Mexican history from pre-hispanic times to the workers' movement of the 1930s. Great Temple (Templo Mayor) Seminario 8, Centro Histórico M Zócalo (L2 Blue) / $60 Tue-Sun, 9-17h This was the main temple of the Mexica people (Aztecs) and stood within an enclosed area known as the sacred precinct. In 1978 electric company workers uncovered a monolith depicting Coyolxauhqui, the Aztec moon goddess. Following this discovery, the Mexico City government gave permission for a full city block to be torn down and excavated, resulting in the Templo Mayor archaeological site and museum. Fine Arts Palace Av. Juárez and Eje Central s/n, Centro Histórico M Bellas Artes (L2 Blue & L8 Dark Green) / Free! Mon-Sun, 10-21h President Porfirio Diaz ordered the construction of this building in the early 1900s. He planned to inaugurate it as part of the celebrations of the centenary of Mexico's independence from Spain. The Revolution broke out in 1910, interrupting the construction, so it was not completed until 1934. The theater's main attractions are a Tiffany stained glass stage curtain portraying a panoramic view of the Valley of Mexico with its two volcanos, and several murals by Tamayo, Rivera, Siqueiros and Orozco. Free guided visits to the main theater to see the stained glass curtain are offered from Tuesday to Friday at 1 and 1:30 pm Latin American Tower Madero and Eje Central, Centro Histórico M Bellas Artes / $70 Mon-Sun, 9-22h The highest building in downtown. From the observation deck on the 44th floor of this soaring skyscraper you can take in fabulous views of the entire city. Tokens for the telescope are on sale here, too. You can climb as many times as you want during the whole day. Consider going there early in the morning and again in the afternoon to see the sunset. Alameda Central Park Address Metro / Entrance fee Opening times The Alameda Central park is a green garden with paved paths and decorative fountains and statues, and is frequently the center of civic events. The area used to be an Aztec marketplace. The park was created in 1592, when Viceroy Luis de Velasco decided to create green space here as a public park. The name comes from the Spanish word álamo , which means poplar tree, that were planted here. This is the oldest public park in the whole continent. Garibaldi Square Close to Metro Garibaldi M Garibaldi / Free! Open 24/7 The Plaza is best known as the home of mariachi music. At all hours of the day and night, mariachi bands can be found here playing or soliciting gigs from visitors. Each song costs around $50 pesos. If you have no money just stand there and listen for free those songs requested by other visitors. A Museum of Tequila and School of Mariachi are also part of the plans, to bring a new level of entertainment and culture to the plaza. If you need a break from some of the quieter cultural attractions in the city, head over to the Plaza Garibaldi and get ready for some lively entertainment. National Museum of Art (MUNAL) Tacuba 8, Centro Histórico M Bellas Artes / Entrance fee: $30, free on Sun Opening times: Tue-Sun, 10:30-17:30h King Carlos rides in front of the Museo Nacional de Arte. Built around 1900 in the style of an Italian renaissance palace, it holds collections representing every school of Mexican art until the early 20th century. A highlight is the work of José María Velasco, depicting the Valley of México in the late 19th century. SEP - Public Education Minister (Diego Rivera murals) República de Brasil 130 M Zócalo / Entrance fee: Free, Mon -Fri, 10-18h The two front courtyards (on the opposite side of the building from the entrance off Plaza Santo Domingo) of the newly established Secretaría de Educación Pública are lined with 120 fresco panels painted by Diego Rivera in the 1920s. Together they form a tableau of ‘the very life of the people,’ in the artist’s words. Each courtyard is thematically distinct: the one on the east end deals with labor, industry and agriculture, while the interior one depicts traditions and festivals Hospital of Jesús Nazareno Address Metro / Entrance fee Opening times The Church and Hospital of Jesús Nazareno are supposedly located at the spot where Hernán Cortés and Moctezuma II met for the first time in 1519. This one of the oldest buildings in Mexico City. It was most likely operating by 1524, although there is some dispute about this. The complex consists of a church and the hospital divided into four sections. The original hospital building is hidden by a modern façade, but the façade of the church is original. After passing the main entrance, one comes to a two-story colonial courtyard filled with plants and a fountain in the center. The hospital courtyard was originally decorated with Tuscan columns, but have since been replaced by equally austere ones. The original staircase remains. Palace of Mines Tacuba 5, Centro Histórico M Bellas Artes / Entrance fee: $25 Tue-Sun, 10-18h Opposite the National Art Museum is the Palacio de Minería, where mining engineers were trained in the 19th century. Today it houses a branch of the national university’s engineering department. A neoclassical masterpiece, the palace was designed by Tolsá and built between 1797 and 1813. Visits are by guided tour only. The palace contains a small museum on Tolsá’s life and work. Ancient San Ildefonso College Address Metro / Entrance fee Opening times The San Ildefonso College currently is a museum and cultural center, considered to be the birthplace of the Mexican muralism movement. It began as a prestigious Jesuit boarding school, and after the Reform War, it gained educational prestige again as National Preparatory School. This school and the building closed completely in 1978, then reopened as a museum and cultural center in 1992. The museum has permanent and temporary art and archeological exhibitions in addition to the many murals painted on its walls by José Clemente Orozco , Fernando Leal, Diego Rivera and others. Post Office Building Tacuba 1, Centro histórico M Bellas Artes / Entrance fee: Free Mon-Sat, 9-18h. Sun 9-16h. More than just Mexico City’s central post office, this early-20th-century palace is an Italianate confection designed by the Palacio de Bellas Artes’ original architect, Adamo Boari. The beige stone facade features baroque columns and carved filigree around the windows; inside, the bronze railings on the monumental staircase were cast in Florence. Philatelists can ogle the first stamp ever issued in Mexico in the 1st-floor postal museum. Tlatelolco Address Close to metro Tlatelolco Metro / Entrance fee: Metro Tlateloco Opening times: everytime The Plaza de las Tres Culturas is so named because it symbolizes the fusion of pre-Hispanic and Spanish roots into the Mexican mestizo identity. It displays the architectural legacy of those three cultural strands: the Aztec pyramids of Tlatelolco, the 17th-century Spanish Templo de Santiago and the modern Foreign Ministry. La Merced Market Address Metro / Entrance fee Opening times Description. Sonora Market Address Metro / Entrance fee Opening times Description. La Ciudadela Handcrafts Market Address Metro / Entrance fee Opening times Description. Tepito Market Address Metro / Entrance fee Opening times Description. El Chopo Market Address Metro / Entrance fee Opening times Description. Historical Synagogue Address Metro / Entrance fee Opening times Description.